This was an amazing thriller. Packed with action and twists from the very beginning. I definitely will be recommending this book to my friends!

Great book! Couldn't stop reading it. Thank you for letting me read this in advance. I can't stop thinking about it. Searching more from this author now.

Kimberly Belle is the queen of the JARRING open, and the beginning of this book was very much giving me The Paris Widow vibes (one of my favorites from last year, so this is a compliment!). I loved the setup of this story with the interwoven, complicated rich (like monetarily rich) family dynamic and the way you’re wondering throughout if Rayna is a reliable narrator.

This was another single sitting read – I pretty much sped straight through it over the course of a few hours!

A one- night stand murder! A diamond dynasty! Multiple mysteries! Kimberly Belle took everything I loved about The Paris Widow and amplified it 10 times, making an even twistier story. While I normally don't love multiple POVs, it really worked here. (Though I could have done without Willow's flashbacks.) Otherwise, this was such a great concept that was very well done.

Loved this book, the stories of two women, strong in some ways and hurting in others, whose lives become intertwined in Amsterdam, when a one night stand leads to a murder and danger and no one you can really trust. Fast moving absorbing, wish they finished Rayna's story with a final chapter but overall a very good read

"𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒂 𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒓𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅."~𝑫𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒐𝒏

Much like her last book THE PARIS WIDOW, the setting was so artfully done, I felt like I was physically in Amsterdam. The opening scene immediately engages the reader--Rayna, who has come to Amsterdam for a fresh start, is enjoying her 'morning after' glow courtesy of Xander, her one-night stand. She hears the shower running and decides to join him, but when she walks into the bathroom, she's greeted by an absolute horror show. Xander has been brutally murdered, and Rayna flees in terror.

Once she gets a little distance from the vicious murder, she begins wondering how she slept through it and why she was spared. Everything changes after she finds out that Xander is in the diamond business and works for a renowned family, the Prins. She realizes that not only is she the prime suspect in the murder, but she's also under suspicion of theft as she posted a photo of herself on social media wearing one of his diamond necklaces that is now missing. Even though she deleted the photo, once it's on the Internet, it's there forever, and it begins circulating.

Worried that the killer will think she's in possession of the necklace, Rayna doesn't know where to turn, and when members of the powerful Prins family reach out to her, she questions if their motives are pure.

This was a fast-paced, thrilling inside look at the illicit diamond trade set in the stunning vistas of one of the most beautiful countries in Europe, its history and culture skillfully woven into the prose. Captivating, entertaining, and exciting, THE EXPAIT AFFAIR is set to publish June 3, 2025. Many thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing for this stunning early copy.

Thanks to Harlequin and Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rayna is living in Amsterdam after a messy divorce in the US. She has a one night stand with Xander, a rich man in the diamond business. When she wakes up the next morning, he has been murdered and she is shocked to be alive. Meanwhile Willow, also American, is living with her Dutch husband, Thomas, and son, Seb. Thomas is an heir to a diamond empire and Willow needs his money to help their ailing son.

This was a really good book I sped through in about one day. I loved the Amsterdam setting. I am going there later this year, so I was very intrigued by the scenery. I also thought the details on the diamond business were very interesting. The story alternated between Rayna and Willow's points of view and that kept the story moving along. Overall a really good read, and I love the recent European settings in this author's books. I hope that continues.

Dear Kimberly Belle, you truly know how to keep readers on their toes with action-packed, gripping thrillers that leave them breathless—and thankfully, Expat Affair is yet another brilliant, unputdownable masterpiece that delivers a full adrenaline rush from start to finish.

The story follows two expat women whose lives become entangled after the shocking death of Xander—a highly influential businessman with deep knowledge of lab-created diamonds and the secrets of their trade.

Rayna, seeking a fresh start in the U.S. after catching her husband in bed with her best friend, scrapes by with low-paying travel writing gigs while sharing an apartment with her Dutch roommate, Ingrid—her only real friend. Determined to reinvent herself as the bold and adventurous "Rayna 2.0," she takes a chance on a date with the ultra-rich, charismatic Xander. But after a wild night of drinking, she wakes up in his hotel suite to find him dead—zipped up and choked in the bathtub. The worst part? She was passed out in the next room while the killer did their work. Now, not only is she the prime suspect, but she's also accused of stealing Xander’s priceless diamonds—especially since she drunkenly posted a photo of herself wearing one of his diamond necklaces… a necklace that has since vanished.

Willow, married into the powerful and pretentious Prins family after an unexpected pregnancy, is struggling through a strained marriage with Thomas—Xander’s former boss and the workaholic heir of a diamond empire. Meanwhile, Thomas’s ambitious sister, Fleur, is vying for her own place as CEO. After Xander’s murder, Willow starts receiving anonymous threats demanding the missing diamonds—or else her deepest secrets will be exposed, secrets that could destroy her marriage and everything she’s built. When she realizes Rayna is just an innocent bystander caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, she knows she has to find her before it’s too late. But as the two women get tangled in a deadly web of deceit, they are pulled deeper into the dangerous underworld of the illicit diamond trade—where every move could be their last.

Who killed Xander? Maybe it’s someone closer than they ever imagined—someone watching their every move.

Overall: A stunning, fast-paced, and electrifying thriller that you can easily devour in one sitting—I highly recommend it!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing a digital review copy of this unputdownable thriller in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I was fortunate to read an early copy of The Expat Affair, and haven’t stopped thinking about it since! What a fabulous thriller! The first pages of this book kick off with a bang and the twists kept me on the edge of my seat and desperate to know what happened. Plus the gorgeous Amsterdam setting didn’t hurt either. And for better or worse, I’ll think twice anytime I see diamonds now.

Kimberly Belle is at the top of her game! Thank you so much Park Row & NetGalley for my copy! I'll be recommending it to my audience and all my friends.